Bode Museum

In the middle of the Museumsinsel in Berlin-Mitte stands the Bode-Museum, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and today home to the Skulpturensammlung, the Museum für Byzantinische Kunst and the Münzkabinett. The neo-baroque building was erected between 1898 and 1904 and was originally known as the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum.

The idea for an art museum on this site dates back to the 1840s; the building opened on 18 October 1904. During World War II the building suffered comparatively minor damage, but initial emergency measures and provisional roof repairs were not carried out until the 1950s. In 1956 the building was officially given its current name, Bode-Museum. A comprehensive restoration and modernization was decided at the end of the 1990s and carried out in an elaborate general overhaul; the fully renovated museum reopened in 2006.

During the refurbishment historical room designs were restored and technical systems renewed. Notable is the reconstruction of the Tiepolo-Kabinett, which was rebuilt after wartime destruction on the basis of a single historical photograph. Four of the five courtyards are accessible for outdoor sculpture exhibitions; a connection to the Pergamonmuseum was also created. The restoration work aimed to preserve the original fabric while modernizing fire safety, climate control and workshop technology.

The collections comprise sculptures from the Middle Ages to the late 18th century, with a focus on the Italian Early Renaissance (including works by Luca della Robbia and Donatello) as well as significant German late Gothic sculptors. The Museum für Byzantinische Kunst displays objects from the 3rd to the 15th century from across the Mediterranean, including late-antique sarcophagi, Byzantine sculptures, ivory carvings, icons and everyday as well as liturgical objects from Egypt. The Münzkabinett, one of the oldest specialised collections of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, comprises over 500,000 objects; at the Bode-Museum some 4,000 coins and medals are on view in four exhibition rooms, and further holdings can be consulted by appointment.

The history of the collections has been shaped by wartime losses and restitutions; in the 2010s extensive restoration projects were initiated, supported by patrons. A spectacular theft in 2017 involved a 100-kg gold coin ("Big Maple Leaf") from the Münzkabinett; the coin was not recovered, and criminal investigations and convictions followed in subsequent years.

Since 2015 the outreach project "Multaka – Treffpunkt Museum" has offered tours for Arabic- and Persian-speaking visitors, promoting intercultural exchange between refugees and the exhibitions.